Day after day, life went on as usual for most people—eating, sleeping, going to school, going to work. But now, there was one common topic of conversation that everyone had: the World Martial Arts Tournament and the Muten Master.
At this point, the regional competitions had concluded, but the global finals had yet to begin.
Many had already started reaching out to martial artists who, despite being eliminated and unable to participate in the finals, had displayed remarkable—even unbelievable—performances in the regional tournaments. They hoped to find a master to learn from.
Open any newspaper, and over a third of its pages were dedicated to articles and reports about the tournament, ancient martial arts, and combat techniques. It was as if modern society had discovered a whole new world, turning its collective gaze toward the mysterious realm of martial arts.
Unfortunately for them, the kind of martial artists they were most eager to study—the ones who could fly and fire white energy blasts from their hands—were incredibly rare.
Among the twelve finalists who emerged from the five major city-region tournaments, only a few had demonstrated such abilities. In fact, only three had been confirmed to possess them during the previous rounds: Tao Pai Pai, champion of the Northern Division; Monkey D., runner-up of the Western Division; and Lanton, third place in the Western Division.
The others, like Uru, runner-up of the Northern Division, a tall, dark-skinned man with an air of mystery; or Noah Robe, the silent lone swordsman who won the Eastern Division; or even the two warrior monks who made it through from the Southern Division, were all incredibly skilled and seemingly superhuman. However, none had demonstrated the kind of supernatural abilities that defied explanation.
As for the other finalist with supernatural powers—Wonton—he had long stated that his abilities were innate and could not be learned. People speculated that his powers were the result of genetic mutation.
Clearly, the ability to fly or fire energy blasts was an extraordinary talent, even among these top-tier martial artists.
What they didn't realize was that, in ancient times, any martial artist who had walked far enough down the path to unlock the treasure within—the power of ki—would have been addressed with the utmost respect as a Grandmaster.
Because of this, Tao Pai Pai and the two disciples of the Muten School were widely regarded as the strongest contenders for second and third place in the upcoming finals.
Yes, second and third place.
As for the championship…
All eyes were on one competitor—someone who had initially been overlooked but had since become the center of everyone's attention.
Mu Taro!
His identity? A mystery.
His age? A mystery.
His origins? A mystery.
By now, public opinion had all but officially bestowed the title of Muten Master upon this old martial artist named Taro. Yet, despite all the speculation, the tournament officials had never given any confirmation.
Even Tam, the CEO of Planet Company and someone rumored to be related to him, had remained completely silent on the matter.
Throughout the competition, Taro had never once displayed the kind of ki techniques used by Tao Pai Pai and the two Muken disciples. But… no one dared to underestimate him. In fact, most believed that he wasn't incapable of such abilities—he had simply never needed to use them.
His championship match against Monkey D., the Muken disciple, had been replayed countless times.
For the first minute or two of the match, the two had simply talked without making a move. Then, something seemed to strike Monkey D. profoundly—because he suddenly bowed deeply to Taro!
And it wasn't just the customary bow before a fight—it was more like a formal act of reverence.
Some observant viewers even noticed something peculiar in the video: Monkey D.'s knees appeared to bend forward, as if he had been about to kneel… yet for some reason, he stopped himself. This subtle but strange movement gave the whole scene an eerie sense of gravity.
Was he… trying to kneel?
And if so, why didn't he?
Once this theory began circulating, it left countless people baffled.
But regardless of the speculation, that final match video became strong evidence supporting the idea that Taro = Muten Master!
Even though no one had been able to interview him directly, the public—especially the internet—was now convinced that this old man was, without a doubt, the founder of the Muten School.
Naturally, people were obsessed with him.
An elder who had lived for one or two centuries, a legendary martial artist who had once saved the world, a warrior who had very likely fought against demons and monsters—the media was desperate to uncover anything about him!
"Hmph!"
In a luxurious hotel, Tsuru sat at a massive dining table, watching the news on a wall-mounted LCD screen.
"Muten Master this, Taro that… I can't go anywhere without hearing that old bastard's name. How irritating!"
"Bang!"
Tsuru glared at the TV, and with just that, the LCD screen on the wall exploded.
"Big brother, what kind of technique was that?" Tao Pai Pai, who had been eating, immediately perked up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Can you teach me? If I had a skill like that..." He squinted his eyes, mimicking Tsuru's expression. "My chances of winning the championship would be even higher!"
"Championship?" Tsuru picked up a bite of food, but it tasted like wax in his mouth. He put down his chopsticks, pointed at Tao Pai Pai, and warned, "Listen to me... if you end up facing that guy, Mu Taro, in the upcoming matches, you better forfeit immediately! Don't even hesitate!"
"You're exaggerating, big brother." Tao Pai Pai rolled his eyes as he kept eating and drinking. "Everyone keeps saying this Taro is some kind of Muten Master—heh, well, I don't buy it… Saving the world? Fighting off demons?" He scoffed, but knowing the strength of his sworn brother and mentor, he added, "Come on, big brother, do you really think he's stronger than me? No matter how strong he is, I can't just forfeit. I have to at least give it a shot, don't you think?"
"Don't say I didn't warn you..." Tsuru's voice turned icy. "I know exactly what kind of person you are, which means he can see through you too. And people like you? He's killed countless of them in the past! You call me big brother—I can't just stand by and watch you walk to your death!"
"Oh? That ruthless?" Tao Pai Pai's eyes flickered as he chuckled. "Kill me? Does he not want the championship? Killing someone would get him disqualified, wouldn't it?"
Tsuru stood up, his expression indifferent. "Keep thinking that way, and you won't be alive much longer." He turned and walked away from the table, a thought surfacing in his mind—
If he weren't Taro's junior disciple, then back when Taro first saw him committing evil, he would have already struck him down on the spot…
---
July 1st—
The World Martial Arts Tournament officials finally released information regarding the global finals!
Start Date: July 17th!Location: Sayuan City!
Wasn't this an indirect confirmation? An acknowledgment of the Muten School's connection to Planet Company's Tam?
Which meant… they were also acknowledging that Taro was the Muten Master?
For those who had spent all this time speculating, the announcement sent a wave of excitement through them.
Everyone was now waiting—waiting for July 17th, the day of the finals!
Because on that day, they would finally see Mu Taro again, the man who had vanished from the public eye for so long. And when they did, they would grab him by the collar and demand answers:
"Tell us the truth! Are you the Muten Master?! Did you really save the world?! What's your connection to Mr. Tam?! How old are you?!"
Of course… that last part about grabbing his collar was just a joke.
Because no one dared to try it.